Maurice de Mauriac Chronograph Modern: A New Watch, A New Sponsor, And New Respect

A few weeks back we wrote an introductory piece on Maurice de Mauriac Zurich where we praised the brand and Daniel Dreifuss for creating stylish and innovative designs for real watch lovers around the world. But design is one thing, wearability is another. As such, we have been testing a Maurice de Mauriac Chronograph Modern for the last few weeks, we even took it on vacation with us. So how does this boutique watch hold up versus some more well-known competitors in the same price bracket? Let's take a look.

First, you need to understand that although you will find "Chronograph Modern" listed on the MdM website, you simply will not find the watch we tested, so don't bother looking. This is part of the beauty of the brand itself, its watches are wholistically unique, meaning that although many pieces make up a certain line (Chronograph Modern, in this case), very few watches are exactly the same, which is something many of us here at Hodinkee cherish. Daniel Dreifuss and his watch makers mix and match hands, pushers, case materials, straps and bezels to create individual pieces. We must say, ours is a great combination of materials.

Our particular Chronograph Modern is a blacked out watch; black strap, black face, black case. However, it is not your typical stainless steel black, ours is actually made from Titanium, giving the watch a lighter presence and a sleek grey caseback. The face is textured, the strap is a sporty nylon black, and the pushers are screw down in grey. This watch is sleek. The caseback is sapphire crystal and you can see the valjoux chronograph movement working away in there, the rotor is engraved Maurice de Mauriac.

We wore the watch flying, hiking, relaxing, drinking, and wedding-attending, and it fit every need perfectly. Actually, one of the greatest attributes to this watch is that while it is most certainly very high quality, it does not attract the wrong kind of attention. Wearing a Rolex in New York is one thing, wearing a Rolex on a tiny island in the West Indies is another. It is the kind of watch that you can wear and feel quietly confident that what's on your wrist is superior to 99% of the people around you, but they don't need to know it (similar to this, to a lesser degree).

Now for impressions. We showed the watch to a few of our compatriots and the reaction was unified. They all loved it. One person, a Bell & Ross owner, even said he preferred the MdM to his B&R and would be looking in to ordering one soon (after he hacked his Bell).

This particular Chronograph Modern is a unique alternative to the likes of an IWC or a higher-end Omega. In fact, you can't help but notice that it bears some resemblance to the IWC Top Gun. That said, everyone has an IWC, and while we think it's a great brand, what fun is it having the same thing as everyone else?

So exactly how much did we like this Maurice de Mauriac Chronograph Modern? We liked it so much that we bought it. Yes, this watch has now officially entered our Hodinkee watch cabinet and we haven't taken it off our wrists once since receiving the package from Zurich.

When we told Daniel Dreifuss how much we loved his watch and that we would like to purchase it, we began to speak more about just what his shop does. While he is certainly the maestro, he has many other watchmakers that work with him. He says they create at least one new option per day, whether it be a face, strap, hand or case. Many of his watch-makers are ex-IWC workers, another is now working for Philippe Dufour who some describe as the greatest living watch maker.

Daniel is now beginning to work on a Tourbillon model for his lineup, and guess who he has helping him with this? A man responsible for creating Tourbillon chronograph minute repeaters for one of the Big Three (although we can't tell you which one). How cool is that?

Also, because we were so impressed by what Maurice de Mauriac Zurich has to offer and can't wait to see what they do next, we offered them a position as a sponsor of Hodinkee, a position which they gladly accepted. Now, Hodinkee is sponsored by three of the best independent brands in the business, Maitres du Temps, Linde Werdelin, and Maurice de Mauriac Zurich. All three are very different brands, all three brilliant in their own right.

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Friday March 3, 2012

HODINKEE is one of the most widely read wristwatch publications in the world. Launched in 2008 by then 25-year-old Benjamin Clymer, the site quickly gained notoriety for earnest looks at some of the industry’s most interesting, and occasionally forgotten timepieces.